Joshua 1:1-9
INTRO: When we look at something in a microscope what happens? We don’t make the object bigger, but rather we are using an instrument to make it appear larger to our eyes. The Bible tells us to magnify the Lord. To look at him and have him be larger in our hearts and minds and our lives. And it tells us that Jesus is Lord. So, this morning looking into Joshua, God’s word, we want to see Jesus, our Yeshua, the greater Joshua, and magnify Him!
BACKGROUND: JOSHUA-THE MAN AND THE BOOK
THE MAN: Fitting on Memorial Day weekend to remember Joshua as a leader of God’s people and primarily a military leader. He led the Israelites in the conquest of the land God had first promised to Abraham hundreds of years before.
Joshua was born in Egypt, 2nd to Moses in the leadership of Israel. His name, Joshua, means the Lord is salvation or The Lord Saves. Its called Yeshua in Hebrew and Yesus in Greek and we say Jesus. That’s Joshua’s name, but it wasn’t always his name. He was formerly called Hoshea. We read in Numbers 13:16: These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)
Godly leader, had faith. Consider Joshua and Caleb vs. the other ten spies who were sent into the land. The other spies said they could not fight these people, “we are like grasshopper in our own eyes and their eyes”. But Joshua magnified the Lord above their enemies! His name reminded him of that. He and Caleb the only two of that generation to enter the promised land!
THE BOOK Events in the book of Joshua may have covered about a 30 year period beginning @ 1400BC or 1240BC? We aren’t sure, but it was a long time ago!
We can divide the book evenly, 1-12 Conquest and 12-24 Dividing of the land among the tribes.
Our text today, 1:1-9, serves as an intro to the whole book.
As the book opens the people of Israel are camped on the east side of the Jordan River just across from the land of Promise. But they were not yet in it. Moses had died and not been allowed to enter the land. Joshua too would pass on, so we look for another, greater Joshua who would fulfill the meaning of his name: Yeshua, Jesus: The Lord saves!
THE GREATER JOSHUA: HIS PROMISE AND HIS COMMAND
HIS PROMISE vs. 2-7
- The Land Promised and God’s Grace
With God its always the promise of grace. Consider how a mortgage works. You pay the land is yours. But with God and His people its: I pay the land is yours. Vs. 2 the land I am about to give them…
Vs 3 I will give you every place you set your foot as I promised Moses….And that promise came to Abraham before. God give the specific boundaries as before.
So its grace alone but the Israelites and we, have a part…I will give you is clear!! But note: where you set your foot. The Bible says: work out your own salvation with fear and trembling because it is God at work in you! (Phillipians 2:12-23) It does not say, work for your salvation, but it does say work it out and then why its possible, it is the Lord at work in you.
So: Israel, claim the land that is yours. When you move your foot it will be by grace but you must move your foot! Its like faith is the gift of God the Bible tells us, but it tells us that we must believe. The wise and sovereign God work in us to make us willing to embrace His will. This is not something done in human wisdom.
What does it look like to take that step? :Last week none of our artistic face-painting types were available for the Block Party. Gail had said earlier in the week that it really wasn’t something she could do. (Gail is also a bit of a perfectionist-so she really believed she could not do it) I resisted the temptation to say anything. Thank you Jesus! But later in the week she said: I’ll do it. So she believed that she could take the step and she and Jesus could do it! Its not a big thing unless you have some perfectionist tendencies and don’t think you can do it well. God added to the mix by having a couple of ladies from the Townhomes jump in and help! And we learned what we knew, that we ought to include the folks who live there! Engage!!!!
So where is God calling you to set your foot? Where is he calling us to set our feet and its looks like too much!! (Like the spies? Look like grasshoppers?) Think about crossing the Jordan, even that first step, its daunting with the spring floods!
Then what does it look like for us to take the land, every place we set our feet?
For the Israelites it was war! We’ll have to address that issue as we look at the book.
But what does it look like for the Church today? I thought of the hymn Lead on O King Eternal and the line: With deeds of love and mercy the heavenly kingdom comes…
Cf. Our mission: To provide meaningful opportunities to love God and our neighbor thru Worship, Community and Service! This area is hot bed of worship!! We worship bicycles, sports, OUR Sunday mornings with brunch and the newspaper. Evangelism is a call to give up our very lives. It’s a battle when seen that way, the way it is, rather than punching a ticked to heaven. It’s a call to worship Jesus and all that means. Give that up to worship Jesus! Its nothing less that calling someone to die!!
We can provide the opportunity, but if we are not setting our feet into new lives then we aren’t putting our feet anywhere.
Three things here: 1. The church today is not a political entity with those kinds of powers. The weapons of our warfare are spiritual! 2. The NT tells us that the things that happened to Israel are examples to us. Yes, it’s a war, a spiritual warfare. 3. This is a great place to think about how we not only interpret but apply the Bible. Just because something God’s people did or he even called them to do at one time does not mean we are called to do the same thing now. The Church is the US isn’t called on to invade Canada! And more to the point, we are not called on to sell all our good and bring them to the Church and have it distributed. The early Church did that and it wasn’t a bad thing, its highlighted. But there is not command to do so! And we aren’t sinning by not doing what was done then. It also ended pretty badly for one family!
Jesus calls us to do greater things. Compare vs. 4 and the boundaries of the Land of Promise with Jesus command: Go into all the world!! Go to every nation!!
Joshua led the people into battle. So Jesus goes with us. And our weapons are powerful, powerful to bless. No one will be able to stand against you. People may reject us, but Jesus everlastingly has us. He has conquered sin and death. They are our enemies, we are to love our neighbor.
- Promise of his presence
Vs. 5 …as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Does this sound like Jesus? Yes. Great Commission: I am with you always… Then Heb.13: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. I recently watched Jurassic Park, a guy night for me when Gail was out. At one point one of the adults leaves the kids when the T-Rex is coming. The little girl says: He left us! Jesus will not leave us. Jesus will not leave you.
Brings us to the thought: Do I live like an orphan? Am I all alone? What comes with this: Fear, Resentment!
So when Jesus sends his people into the promise land to conquer it, he says I will be with you. And when Jesus sends His church, and us in it, into all the world, and your neighbor, he says: I am with you!
Those words from Hebrews 13: Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you, are followed by these words in the very next verse: 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?” Believing the promise creates the confidence.
- God’s Command: vs. 6 be strong and very courageous…vs.7 be strong and very courageous vs. 9 have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.!!
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me
Get the idea. Believing the promise fulfills the command. And God knows we can be afraid, terrified! Cf. “You don’t grow weary with the weary” God can put courage in you, in us. He is with you/us!
When we believe we are enabled to do what God calls us to do. Consider Jesus words in John 6:28-29:
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
Then: Be careful to obey my law…don’t turn from it…don’t let it depart from mouth, meditate on it day and night…etc.
Believing God’s promise leads to obeying Him. The indicative precedes the imperative and the order is not reversible. God fulfills his promises and commands in us. We take the step, he gets the glory for it is all due him. We magnify the LORD!! Was not Joshua called on right then and there to believe God’s word coming to Him?
CLOSE: Exodus 17:8-13
8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Isn’t God incredibly gracious in giving credit considering vs. 13! Joshua overcame?? Yes, He overcame by His greater Joshua and our greater Joshua. He gathered an army and went into battle. And Jesus won and wins the victory, all the victories for His people. So we magnify Him.
PRAY
REPENT-GET READY: VS. 2 GET READY TO CROSS THE JORDAN! We repent of thinking we can do what you want us to do apart from you. We repent of thinking we can’t do even though we have your powerful grace to work in and through us.
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